Apparatus for photographic reproduction of ducuments



July 8, 1952 J. E. A. DODIN 2,602,370

APPARATUS FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC REPRODUCTION OF DOCUMENTS Filed Sept. 7, 1949 LUCIEN I E-H- Dock INVENTOR 7 and HIS ATT RNEY Patented "July 8, 1952 APPARATUS FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC REPRO- DUCTION OF DOCUMENTS Lucien Jules Emile Andr Dodin, Canet Plage, France Application September 7, 1949, Serial No. 114,437 In France September 20, 1948 1 Claim.

My invention relates to apparatus for photographic copying of documents and more p ticularly to the arrangement of the means therein for providing proper illumination.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a photographic copying apparatus which is compact and easy to operate. Another object of my invention is to avoid in photographic copying apparatus the illumination of the document to be reproduced by direct beams of light and to eliminate their reflection into the objective of the apparatus.

The said and other objects of my invention will be apparent from the following description when read with the accompanying drawing in which an embodiment is illustrated in an elevational sectional view.

The photographic copying apparatus according to my invention comprises a conventional projector tube 5 which has essentially the shape of a pyramidal frustrum and which may be provided at its open wider bottom and with a tapering extension 4 having a base opening In to receive the document to be reproduced. The plane I containing said base opening I is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tube 5 which axis I coincides with the optical axis of the objective 2 mounted in the partition I of said tube. Above said cross wall I is the photographic dark chamber 8 formed by the extended walls of the projector tube 5 and the top wall II. The photographically sensitive paper, film, or the like 9 is placed within said chamber 8.

Whereas hitherto in photographic copying apparatus the illuminating means such as electric bulbs have been placed within the projector tube I place said illuminating means [5, l5 according to my invention outside said tube behind apertures l3, [3' arranged in the side wall of said tube intermediate between its base opening 10 and said partition I. The inner surface of the projector tube 5 which is usually of rectangular cross section is at least on two opposite sides provided with mirrored surfaces H, I4 extending between said apertures l3, l3 and said base opening III. The said apertures I 3, iii are so arranged that beams of light emanating from the light sources l2, l2 fall upon the opposite mirrored surfaces l4 and II, respectively, without directly illuminating the document placed in the base opening I0. Thus the document is exclusively illuminated by beams of light which are reflected thereupon by the said mirrored surfaces l4, 14'. The inner surface of the projector tube 5 above the apertures l3, I3 is opaque so that beams of light incident thereupon are prevented from being reflected into the objective 2.

The projector tube 5 and the illuminating means l5, l5 may be enclosed in an outer casing 3 which is provided with ventilating apertures l9, l9. Reflectors l8, l8 may also be provided behind the illuminating means I2, l2 within said outer casing 3.

Although only one embodiment of my invention has been shown and described by way of illustration, it will be well understood that it may be constructed in various other embodiments which come within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim as my invention is:

In a photographic copying apparatus the improvement comprising in combination a projector tube having essentially the shape of a pyramidal frustrum; the base opening therein adapted to receive the document to be photographically copied and the top end thereof adapted to receive a photographic lens tube; the optical axis of said lens tube coinciding with the longitudinal axis of the projector tube and passing perpendicularly through the center of the base opening of said projector tube; one aperture in each of at least two opposite inclined side walls of said projector tube arranged intermediate between the base opening and the top end thereof; a mirrored surface on each of said inclined side walls of the projector tube between said aperture and said base opening, a light source arranged behind each of said apertures outside the projector tube and directing its beams of light upon the mirrored surface opposite to said aperture; said mirrored surface arranged to reflect the incident beams of light upon the document mounted in the base opening of the projector tube; each of said apertures shaped to shield, said document from direct rays emanating from the light source; and the inner surface of the projector tube outside said mirrored surface being opaque to prevent reflection of light beams into the lens tube.

LUCIEN JULES EMILE ANDRE DODIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,808,118 Peterson June 2, 1931 2,478,641 Rose Aug. 9, 1949 2,481,694 Schubert Sept. 13, 1949 2,530,843 Smith Nov. 21, 1950 

